Alterations
by PunkKitten118
Summary: There was no one that could match Itachi's skill. He was a genius. The only one to graduate so early from the academy...Or was he? There is another who has been kept secret and is now ready to be revealed. Please Read and Review!
1. Academy

**Chapter 1**

_Konoha Acadamy_

"Now, class we are going to have a pop test if you will," the sensei said amidst multiple groans from his students. "The clone jutsu. Please, step forward and we will see how many of you actually practiced it."

The first student stepped up and performed the jutsu nervously. The smile faded from his sensei's face when instead of a clone of the student, a fish lay flopping on the floor.

"Next," sensei said with a sigh. He could tell this was going to be a long day.

The students that followed were not much better. Some had managed to make a clone, but it had lain on the floor about as dead as the floor boards it was on. This continued until there were only two students left to perform the jutsu.

"Itachi, could you please step forward. I know you will not disappoint me."

Itachi effortlessly performed the jutsu and his clone stood next to him with the same alertness and seemingly boredom that the real one currently possessed.

"Ah! See everyone? Your clone should look like an exact replica of you so that your enemy cannot tell which is the real one."

Itachi's clone vanished and the 6yr old Uchiha walked back to his seat, the perfect picture of boredom.

"All right, who's left? Ah, yes, Ari its your turn."

A small girl with long black hair stepped up, did the jutsu as perfectly as Itachi, and before her sensei could say anything was back in her seat while the clone stood in from of him tapping her foot with impatience.

"Well?" the clone asked, "Do I pass or what?"

"Uh…Sure. Excellent job, Ari," Sensei said scratching his head. He couldn't believe that Ari could control her clone so well.

The clone rolled her eyes then walked toward the door.

"Ari, what are you doing?"

The little girl looked up from her seat by the window.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" she asked innocently.

"Shouldn't your clone have vanished by now?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Oh, it will in a few minutes. I like to practice controlling it as long as I can. It helps my chakra levels and lets me know what my limit is." She said, then looked back down at her text book.

"That's all very good but how will you control it when you can't see it?" he said as the clone slipped out the door.

"I suppose I won't. Which probably means that it vanished the minute it went through the door." She said without looking up.

Sensei didn't look so convinced but he decided to let it go. After all, next to Itachi she was his best student.

"Ok, lets continue with our next lesson."

Outside of the academy the clone broke into a run towards the woods.

"_The teachers in the academy are so dumb."_ The Ari-clone thought laughing softly.

She ran deep into the forest until she came to a halt in a clearing.

"Perfect," she said with a smirk, "I can finally train without have anyone bother me."

It had been simple really. When sensei had given them the test it had been so easy to switch places with the clone and walk out of the classroom. She may have been 6 yrs old but she knew she had better things to do then sit there and listen to her sensei drone on and on about stuff she already knew.

She made another clone of herself and got in the fighting stance. It was so much harder to fight against someone that knew your every move before you even thought you were going to make it. She thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Bring it on!" she yelled at her clone, lunging toward it.


	2. Clearing

**Chapter 2**

Black eyes watched as Ari sparred. She was covered in blood and sweat poured down her forehead. She had made two clones to make her training more intense.

_'She has good chakra control,' _the person thought, _'Able to create a clone to take her place in class, yet still have enough control to make two more to train against.'_

Ari, though only 6 was very skilled. She knew training like this would wear her out and she would definitly be asleep early tonight, but thats what she wanted.

She was so caught up in her training that she almost didn't notice the figure standing by the tree. Quickly she flung one of the clones she was fighting into the air then all three spun to face the intruder.

"What do you want?" Ari snapped at figure partially hidden in the trees.

The figure moved from the shadows and into the clearing facing her.

Ari instantly recognized the person but did not relax her stance, though the two clones had disappeared, her kunai raised in front of her for protection.

"Uchiha," she said, eyeing him suspiciously, "Shouldn't you be at the academy?"

"Shouldn't you?" he questioned.

"I am at the academy."

"No," he said taking slow steps around her little form. "Your clone is there. You are here."

Ari turned to watch him as he circled her. She was tiny for her age which made him seem a head taller then she was.

"Well, i am done now so you can leave."

Before she could blink he was standing behind her. She spun to face him, the kunai in her hand slicing through the air to strike him, but he caught her arm before she could hit and twisted both arms behind her back.

Ari gritted her teeth in pain and hooked a foot around his leg in a quick sweep causing him to fall backwards, but his grip didn't loosen and she fell with him. Quicker then she thought was possible he had her pinned to the ground, arms behind her back, and was sitting on her legs.

"Get. Off. Me." she hissed, glaring at him. She could feel the kunai that was still in her hand pressing painfully into her back.

He returned her glare with a blank stare. His black eyes stared into her purple ones. Without saying anything he released her arms and began to stand up. Ari saw her chance and she took it.

As his weight lifted off her legs her knee came up and she could have cheered with glee at how much pain he was going to be in. Her glee was short lived though because he grabbed her leg, spun in a circle and threw her away from him. She landed a few feet away, skidding to a stop as her back connected with a tree, her eyes shutting in pain.

When she managed to open her eyes she saw his face and then felt her cheek explode as his fist connected with her face. She crumbled to the ground but, when he knelt down next to her, her purple eyes held malice as she glared at him.

"Don't try that again." He said softly, his face still not showing any emotion as he stood, then disappeared.

Ari slumped to the ground. She didn't have enough chakra left to heal any of her wounds.

_'I hate you, Itachi. I hate you.' _she thought, slipping into unconciousness.

**Authoress Note: **_Chapters will come faster if i get reviews. Honestly this story will be really good. But i would like to know if you guys like it or not. PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thanks!_

_ 3 PunkKitten_


	3. Home

**Chapter 3**

Ari groaned as she opened her eyes and saw the sun setting behind the trees. Her cheek felt like it was on fire and her head swam when she sat up. She was sure when she passed out that the clone at the academy had disappeared. She would be in trouble with her sensei tomorrow at the academy. Although she thought that he would love to know she had so much control. But somehow, telling him, wouldnt make him proud of her.

Slowly, she gathered chakra and concentrated on healing her wounds. She would jump in the stream to wash the blood off. It wouldn't come out of her clothes but she wouldn't let her parents notice.

After her wounds were healed, she stood up and walked out of the clearing towards the stream in the woods. Without bothering to remove her clothes she jumped into the water and started scrubbing the blood off of her skin. Once that was done she got out and headed towards her house.

As luck would have it she happened to live next to the Uchiha's. She glared at their house as she walked. But her glared softened into a smile when she saw a woman in front of the house helping a baby learn how to walk. Itachi's mom and little brother, Sasuke. Though she didn't like Itachi she thought his little brother was adorable.

Ari watched Sasuke take hold of the porch and try to stand up on his own as she went passed them. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her when he pulled himself up and grinned up at his mother, raised his hands in the air and plopped down on his butt in the dirt. The look of confusion on his face was priceless. His mother looked up when she heard Ari's giggle.

"Konichiwa, Ari," Mikoto said smiling at the little girl. Her smile quickly turned to a frown when she saw the blood on Ari's clothes. "Are you alright? It looks like you got into a fight."

"Hai, Mikoto-sama," Ari said bowing respectfully. "I am fine. I was training."

"Training? You should be spending more time playing and having fun then you do training." Mikoto shook her head saddly. "You are only 6 and yet you act so much older. You and Itachi need to slow down or soon you will not have a childhood left to enjoy."

As though saying his name summoned him, Itachi walked out of the house and stood next to where his mother and little brother sat.

"Did you call me, Okaa-san?"

Mikoto looked over at her oldest son with a smile.

"No, Itachi, I was just talking with Ari."

Itachi looked at Ari. Her eyes were blank, no hint of emotion as she stared back at him.

"Ari-chan." he said addressing her politely.

"Itachi-san." she relpied before facing his mother.

"I must go now Mikoto-sama, my father will be looking for me." she said bowing respectfully to her. "Good-bye Sasuke-kun!"

She then turned and ran to her house, never even acknowledging Itachi as she left.

Ari slipped quietly into her house and could hear her dad in the kitchen making dinner. She tiptoed silently towards the stairs nervously glancing in the kitchen doorway as she passed hoping he wouldn't see her.

_'Good, his back is turned. This should be easy.' _she thought as she slipped passed the doorway and down the hall to her room.

Once there she quietly shut the door and went to her dresser to pull out a clean yukata to wear to dinner. After she was done changing she walked, still silent, down the hall to the kitchen. Her father still had his back turned to her and was finishing up the rice for supper.

"Konichiwa, otou-san, supper smells good." she said sitting at the table. She took the tea pot and poured two cups as her father brought over the finished rice.

"Konichiwa, joshi" Rayku said, giving her a smile. "How was your day at the Academy? You were attentive i hope?"

"Hai, I did. I passed the suprise test Kaito-Sensei gave us."

"Subarashii! I am very please with how well you are doing." his smile turned into a slight frown as he ate. "I must go on a mission. I will be gone for two weeks and i must leave tonight."

Ari's head shot up to look at him. "But otou-san what about the parents day at the academy? I was going to show you everything i learned so far."

Rayku continued to eat without looking at her. "Another time. I must go and that is final."

"But ot---!"

"Its final!" her father said harshly cutting off her protests.

Ari finished the meal in silence, then gathered the dishes while her father left to prepare for the mission. Since the sink was so high she had to stand on a stool to wash the dishes and put them away. Just as she finished her father appeared in the doorway, bag slung over one shoulder and Anbu mask in place.

"I'm leaving now." he stated.

Ari climbed off the stool and went over to give her father a hug.

"Chuuisuru, otou-san." She said, stepping back and looking up at him.

"You too, Ari-joshi." Rayku said before opening the door and disappearing into the darkness.

Ari extinguished the lights in the house and walked in the darkness to her room. She carefully made her way to the bed, found her nightclothes, and slipped them on. After making sure the window was locked she climbed into her bed and lay curled in a ball hugging her pillow. As she slept, a single tear escaped the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek before dripping onto the pillow. In the morning there would be no evidence, and she would never know she had let it fall.

**Authoress Note:**

_Translations are listed below. You should be familiar with the honorifics such as -san, -chan, -sama and the like so i won't translate those. Just the words that you might not be familiar with._

Konichiwa - Hello

Okaa-san - Mother  
Otou-san - Father

Joshi - Daughter

Hai - Yes

Subarashii - Wonderful

Chuuisuru - Be careful

_Please review!! I love reviews! Seriously. Not even kidding. So, please review!_

_With love!  
PunkKitten_


	4. Summoned

**_Thanks to:_**

_**Kitty Yannie:** Glad i got your interest in the story! Itachi IS evil, but thats why i like him. Don't let Ari fool you. She's not as weak as she may seem. Thanks for reviewing! )_

_**Emily:** I am really glad you like it so far! I was hoping you would. Make sure you let me know if you think anything could be a bit different. Thanks for the review! 3 )_

_**Jazzygurl:** I'm glad you like the story! Thanks for the review!_

**_Evilsis:_** _Glad you like it! I wanted to start early so that I could fit my character into the story. Its the best way i knew how. I am greatly honored that i would earn your respect in fanfiction writing! That means a lot! Thank you so much! )_

**Chapter 4**

Ari groaned and rolled out of the sunlights rays as they shined down on her bed. She was so glad it was a saturday. She was also glad that she did not have to go to the academy today. She had completely drained herself with training the other day and she was content to be lazy this morning. _'Yes! Dad is away on a mission. I can finally sleep in.' _she thought.

_Knock, knock,__** thud.**_

_Or not.'_

Ari pulled herself out of bed and picked up her yukata from the chair she had thrown it over last night when she had gotten ready for bed. She hastily put it on and then ran to the mirror to make sure she didn't look like a complete wreck. Which would have been alright for a normal 6yr old, but not for Ari.

_Knock, knock, __**thud.**_

"I'm coming!" She yelled as she made her way down the hall grumbling.

When she opened the door her frustration only mounted.

"What the hell are you doing here so early in the morning, Uchiha?" She demanded fixing her angry gaze on him. Though she had to look up and the effect wasn't as harsh as she would have liked. He stood a foot taller then her and her neck had already begun to cramp.

Itachi looked down at her rumpled yukata to her bare feet before bringing his eyes back up to look at her face. Ari fought the urge to slap him.

"I didn't know you had such a mouth on you Ari-san. I was told by the hokage to come get you. He has some important news that he would like to discuss with you."

"Well, thats all nice and dandy but why did he send you, of all people?" she said as nicely as she could.

"I didn't think to ask." he said taking a step forward. "Are you going to let me in? Or should I wait for you out here?"

"Let you in? Of course I am not going to let you in! I want you to leave. Now good bye!"

She tried to shut the door quickly but he was too fast. In one fluid motion he had caught the door and slipped past her into the house, knocking her to the floor in the process.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" She fumed as she got up. "I said 'Good bye' not 'Come in'. Get out!"

Itachi walked into her living room without paying any attention to her. "I will wait in here until you are ready." With that he chose a book from the bookcase and sat down on the couch to read it.

"No!" Ari cried storming up to him and yanking the book from his hands, she returneded it to the bookcase and then marched back over to stand in front of him.

"I want you out of this house immeadiatly before i call the police and have them drag you out. I told you to get out before. I don't want you here. I refuse to go anywhere with you. I do not need someone to hold my hand on the way there." She yelled at him. She was glad he was sitting down because that was when she towered over top of him, which was a nice change.

Itachi sat still watching her. He seemed to be pondering whether to leave her house as she had told him to or just kill her for daring to yell at him.

"I am not going to move until you are ready to go see him. He asked me to bring you to him and that is what i intend to do." He spoke calmly, watching her face turn red with anger.

Ari's mouth dropped and before she could think about it, her fist flew toward his face and her foot followed quickly. Itachi caught both easily before they could hit him and he flipped her away from him. Ari managed to control herself and landed lightly on her feet across the room. She didn't feel like breaking any of her furniture. She watched like a hawk when he stood up and moved toward the door.

"I will be outside waiting. Be ready in 10 minutes or i will come back in and drag you there by your hair." he said as he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch to wait.

Ari was furious. She wanted to sit in her room and not even bother to get ready, just to make him mad. But to keep the hokage waiting would not have been wise. So she quickly ran her comb through her hair and put on clean clothes and was flying past him on the porch in less time then he had given her to get ready.


	5. News

**Chapter 5**

Itachi watched as Ari ran past him. He could easily catch up to her so he decided to let think she had left him in the dust. He hadn't actually been told by the hokage to bring Ari to him. Yes, it was true that she was wanted at the hokages office, but his father had simply told him to send her there. Not take her there himself. Oh well, he was curious as to why the hokage wanted to see her.

_'I should probably catch up to her now.' _he thought as he sprang from the porch and took off down the street after her.

Ari was so ecstatic that she had managed to ditch Itachi and he hadn't caught up to her yet. She was almost to the hokages office and then...it happened. Her excitment got the better of her and in the blink of an eye she wasn't running toward the office building, she was tumbing. She wasn't a perpetually clumsy kid...but she had her moments.

Her tumbling landed her flat on her face in front of the door of the office building. Standing up, she brushed herself off and was preparing to open the door only to have it burst open and almost hit her. Jumping out of the way she watched as figure with silver hair darted out and upon seeing her came to an abrupt stop.

"Yo," he said looking down at her. "I was just coming to look for you. Itachi came back without you and said that you had probably gotten lost."

Ari's face turned red with anger. "I didn't get lost Kakashi-sensei. I knew where i was going the whole time."

"I am sure you did, but the hokage is looking for you, so you better get going." He took her hand and led her up the stairs to the hokages office.

Itachi was standing outside the door when they got there. Ari glared at him as she passed and went into the room. He started to follow but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Stay out here. This matter does not concern you."

Ari looked over her shoulder and she couldn't resist sticking her tongue out at him before the doors were closed. Ari glanced around the room observing who was there. Besides Kakashi-sensei and herself, the hokage was seating at his desk with two of his advisers next to him. Itachi's father, Fugaku, was also in the room. Ari stared at him in curiousity wondering why he would be here. He was the head of the police in Konoha but she was quite certain she hadn't done anything criminal. Yet.

"Ari, please come here." the hokages voice brought her attention back to him. She slowly stepped up to the desk and raised her gaze to meet his.

"The matter I have to discuss with you is of the utmost importance. You knew that your father was sent on a very dangerous mission. He knew the risks and chose to accept it in duty to his village."

Ari's face remained blank, but her head was spinning. _'What could he mean?' _she thought, starting to worry.

Seeing no reaction from the little girl the hokage went on speaking. No sense beating around the bush with this girl. Her father had raved about her intelligence and had always prided himself on being able to speak to her like an adult, though she was still just a small child.

"Your father was killed by while he was on the mission. He was a very well respected shinobi of this village, and he will be remembered with honor. Being so young and having no relatives living here I am placing you under the care of Uchiha clan since you are close neighbors with them. Is this understood?"

Ari's head was spinning so fast she wanted to scream for it to stop. She couldn't believe anything that he had just said. How could he talk in the past tense when speaking about her father? He was away on a mission and was going to come back. He was going to be back early and maybe even make it to parents day for the first time. She still had to show him how much she had learned at the academy. He was coming back...right?

The others in the room were looking at her with concern as she stood there in silence. Her eyes were wide and unseeing as she stared at the hokage. Fugaku came forward and put a hand on her shoulder causing her to jerk in fright. He knelt down and looked at her face, frowning when her wide eyes met his.

"Do you understand what this means Ari-chan?" he asked her. Her mouth remained closed and he received no answer. "Ari, your father was killed on a mission. He's dead. Do you understand?"

"H-he's...he's de-dead?" Ari finally choked out. Her brain felt like it was about to explode.

"Yes, he's dead."

_**"Dead...dead...**__**dead..." **_The words echoed in her head and she couldn't take them anymore. She began to sob as she broke free of his hold and dashed to the door.

"Ari-chan!" Kakashi shouted as she threw open the door and ran right into Itachi with enough force to send him flying to the ground and her to fall to the floor beside him. But she was up in a second and running again before Itachi knew what had happened.

The hokage sighed as Itachi got up and stepped into the room.

"Her father wanted her to be told straight out if something like this were to happen. But she is, afterall, only a child. I should have told her in a softer way."

"You informed her the way Rayku would have wanted it. There was nothing else you could do. But, now we have to find her. There is no telling where she might have run off to." Fugaku said.

Kakashi looked at the door Ari had just run through. "You won't have to look for her. Give her some time to herself. She will return when she feels she is ready."

The hokage watched as he walked toward the door. "I suppose you are right, Kakashi. She needs time to grieve. The services need to be prepared. I will let you know the details after i have discussed them with Fugaku."

Kakashi nodded and then disappeared.

Itachi looked at his father, hoping to get an explanation of what had happened.

"Come, Itachi, we will go home. There is nothing more we can do right now." His father said leading him to the door. "I will come early tomorrow to discuss the details with you, Hokage-sama."

The hokage nodded and watched them leave before leaning back into his chair. The advisors, who had been quiet the whole time, looked at him expectantly.

"No more work today. I am going home. You should too." he told them tiredly.

They nodded and disappeared from the room, leaving the hokage to his thoughts. Tomorrow was going to be a long sad day.

**Authoress Note:**_ I hope you liked it. Please let my know if you did by reviewing! It was difficult to write and the next chapter will not be any easier. Reviews would mean a lot!!!_

_ PunkKitten _


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